Time
by Gin no raita wa bara
Summary: When you die, no one expects you to actually come back. But then again, not everything is as it seems, ne?
1. Prologue

_**Time: Sasodei Love Story**_

Prologue

It's said that opposites attract. Like magnets, for instance, or positive and negative. They are drawn towards each other, attracted, despite their differences. In some cases, that's not always true. People can find their attraction in things they are so alike with. They find love in replicas of themselves, they find themselves within another, and become drawn towards the soul which contains them. My story, however, follows the cheesy old cliché "opposite attract." It's a tale of woe and pain, of humor and friendship. But most of all, it's about love. Love, the most powerful feeling to ever be experienced. It's a tale of how I found my love, my magnet, and how I found the peace it came with, even though my time had already come.

Hmm…time. Funny, isn't it? How it trails forward, no matter what. There are no exceptions to time, and time waits for no one, trampling those in its quack if they dare stand in its way. No one can understand the concept of time, no matter how hard they may try. Though, if one tries too hard, their time stops. Their world ends, leaving them in the consuming black void of death.

Death can come in all ways, painful or peaceful. You can fall during a deep slumber, or be burned at the stake, knife through your heart and scars on your battered face. Quickly or slowly, no matter what way, death will come for you, knocking on your door. They say you can cheat death, be able to live forever, so long as you give the right sacrifices. But in the long run, its death that cheats you. No soul can wander this world forever, they will dim, fade into nothingness, into obscurity.

My death… It came on a cold, rainy night.

The rain pelted down from the Heaven's, blinding the fools who dare lift their heads to gaze into the clouds. The water fell so hard; you couldn't see three feet from your face. I was alone. I don't remember much. Just being alone. There were voices. Voices of the wandering bodies that traipsed from building to building. I was walking, or maybe running. I don't remember. Then, there was red. So much red. It clouded the earth, tainting the pure water into copper dirt.

Black. Everything was black.

I heard nothing. No breath, no voice.

I felt no presence. Not a soul, not even my own.

Death. It had claimed me.

All my memories. Gone.

Would I ever get them back? I don't know…

I was only nineteen years old, when death had claimed my soul.


	2. Can You See Me?

_**Time: SasoDei Love Story**_

**Chapter One: Can You See Me?**

"Ghost whisperer my ass, un," a blonde scoffed, huffing as he floated through the walls of an old, abandoned building. "He could barely understand the idiot standing next to him; no way would he be able to talk to a ghost."

The soft pitter patter of the rain sprinkled against the walls around him, allowing a soothing melody to come from it, relaxing his irritated self. This blonde sighed, and frowned, looking down at his faded hands, a pair of mouths grinned back up at him from his palms.

"Will no one see me? Will I be alone forever, un?"

Averting his eyes back up, he came face to face with a window, grease and dirt were painted on it, the wooden mahogany boarder nearly falling off its hinges. Gazing out of it, ignoring the small insects scurrying across the window sill, he stared at the crystal clear rain, plummeting from the world above. The rain always soothed the boy. It created a peaceful sound, so calm and serene. He felt all his pain slip away from him, closing his shining azure eyes. This peace allowed his thoughts to take flight, day dreaming about everything and anything.

A soft sigh escaped his lips whilst he cracked his visible eye open, the other hiding under his luxurious golden fringe.

_I need to stop moping and get out there. There has to be one person who can help me…_

And that's just what this boy did. With a breath-taking grin, he nodded, yanking his shining blonde locks out of his partial ponytail. The hair fell, cascading light a waterfall that pooled near his shoulders, continuing to fall down and settle on the small of his back. At first glance, you'd think this boy was an angel sent down from God to look over us, not a lost soul trapped on Earth for unknown reasons. Actually, at first glance, you'd think this boy would be a sexy young lady, but God help your soul if you ever told him that to his face.

"Let's do this."

With that, he smirked, walking in a fashion that looked so graceful it could be named floating, outside the building's wall. He waltzed straight through the wall, smiling sadly as he did so, and looked up into the sprinkling rain that pelted down around him, falling directly through him.

The blonde began his majestic decent through the water filled streets of Japan. The dark grey clouds added an ominous aura throughout the proximity. As he walked, the boy gazed into the little shops that boarded the streets. Each little shop had on open sign flipped up, lights on and shining with all their luminescent glory. Inside were people, some laughing, some frowning, some indifferent. The blonde smiled, thinking of how much he envied those people. They could live, be seen by others, have fun, everything he thought he couldn't.

Shaking his head, he rid himself of those thoughts. He had a mission to accomplish, and dammit, he would do it.

_There's no sense in moping…_

Nodding, he began to look around again, occasionally calling out a loud 'hello?' to test if anyone would turn their heads.

No one did.

He repeated this step several times, to no avail. No one heard him, and if they did they didn't even acknowledge his presence. This would be around the ghost would begin to get frustrated, and now was no exception. With a heavy sigh and angered growl, the blonde turned, stalking, albeit quite gracefully, back towards the shambled building he called 'home.'

The rain was now plummeting down harder than before, in turn causing people to run for cover in the run down and quickly overflowing shops. Whilst drowning in his own self-pity, the blonde passed a certain little shop that caught his eye. It wasn't the shop itself, but the people who inhabited it.

Inside, all clustered around a circular, was a group of kids, teenagers who couldn't have been much older than he was. They all seemed to have a unique sense of style, but around their wrists were blood red bandanas, white clouds splattered in a random order. In total, there were nine teenagers, all very…different…to say the least.

Sitting near the corner of the wall, grinning slightly, was a man with multiple facial piercings. He had blazing orange hair, and eyes that seemed to have circular lines, a very light blue hue to it. He was sitting next to a woman, holding her hand as he smiled at her.

This woman had dark blue hair, and I mean _blue_ hair. She too had a few piercings, but much less than the man that held her so closely. Her eyes were a honey amber color, looking slightly grey in color. The woman was laughing, rolling her eyes towards a pair of boys that seemed to be arguing.

The two boys were both strongly built. One had slicked back grey hair, shining magenta eyes that held a cocky glint to them. Around his neck was a silver pendant, a circle with an upside triangle direct down the middle of it. The piece of jewelry hung down above his exposed chest, since he had no shirt on, directly above his heart. Next to him was a man that had multiple stitches down his arms and legs, even a few on his face. His dark brown hair hung down to his shoulders, bright green eyes were locked on the magenta ones of the boy he seemed to be in a brawl with.

Standing to the right of the dueling duo was a freakishly tall fellow, skin a light blue hue, little lines that went across his cheek, similarly resembling gills that a fish or shark would have. His matching dark blue hair seemed to defy gravity as it stood up, a bit shaggy and uneven in its length. His smile showed his razored teeth, looking quite intimidating, even if he was laughing.

Jumping next to the shark like man, was another who had an orange mask covering his face. The mask was orange and black, swirls looking like a vortex covered it, with only one hole of the right side of his face, allowing a peep hole for the boy's eyes. The blonde couldn't see the eye, nor the face, but he could tell the boy was jumping, clapping his hands in a child-like manor. He assumed the boy was laughing, considering his actions at the moment.

The boy with the mask had a hand on his shoulder. The hand belonged to a bored looking man, one side of his body was black, the other a bright white. The ghost boy was beyond confused, but intrigued nonetheless. The man seemed to have bright yellow eyes, almost looking as if they were glowing in contrast with his skin. His hair was a shaggy green color, cutting off right before it fell into his eyes.

But what caught the blonde's attention most, were the two boys that seemed to sit off into the side, leaning against the wall. One had a cocky grin on his lips; the other showed no expression at all.

The smirking one was the most gorgeous creature the blonde had ever seen. His hair was a deep, rich red. It was shaggy and layered, falling down and covering the top of his hypnotizing light brown and grey eyes. He had a child-like face, skin a pale color and boyish features to compliment it. He was the shortest one there, but seemed to be an inch or so taller than the blonde ghost. His feminine eyelashes batted over the glimmering eyes, chuckling occasionally at the still squabbling duo. The ghost felt drawn to the red head, and felt himself smiling lightly as he saw the other laugh.

The only thing that tipped the blonde off was the fellow standing to the red head's right. He had pitch black hair, loosely tied together in a ponytail. His eyes were red, strange black markings colored them as he looked around boredly. The boy was slightly taller than the red head, and looked to be the second youngest of the group, right after said red head. His sickly pale complexion suited him well, making his red and black eyes stand out better.

There was a certain thing about this boy though, that the blonde just couldn't name. It was like he seemed familiar; dangerously familiar, but the ghost just couldn't name it. He watched silently as the raven's eyes darted from wall to wall of the homey little coffee shop, skimming over all the nooks and cranny's the wall contained. The eyes then darted towards the window, and he locked eyes with the blonde ghost.

At first, he thought nothing of it, assuming the raven couldn't see him, but when the stare never let up and simply continued to bore into the ocean blue eyes, did the ghost's mind start reeling.

He knew he'd seen those eyes before. He could vaguely remember the silhouette of the blackette from…livelier times, but he just couldn't remember anything else. The two continued their stare down before it hit him.

The blonde remembered.

He remembered how when he was dying, the raven was there, a distressed and scared look etched upon his stoic features.

He remembered the raven calling for an ambulance when he had gotten injured, and how the raven never left his side.

He remembered.

Not everything, but short snips and tidbits from his living past.

_What was his name again?_

His mind was racing, eyes intently locked at the stoic raven continued to stare back, as if trying to figure out a complicated puzzle.

Did he remember the blonde? Did he know who the ghost was?

The poor ghost wanted to remember, he was so desperate to get his past memories returned to him. He searched deep within the crevices of his mind, praying to whatever deity that be watching over him, he was able to recall something.

Apparently said deity was on his side, for he was able to conjure up an idea.

_If he seems so familiar, un, maybe…maybe he knows me, or knew. How...to…wait…my hair? My hair! The hair tie, un!_

His azure eyes widened. Breaking the intense stare down, his eyes flickered to his wrist, where his hair tie lay. Gazing up at the blackette, then down again, he nodded. With a hopeful intake of air, the ghost flipped his hair, snatching a small segment from the back, and tying the brown clip into place. This had always been hi signature hairstyle. Even when he was mortal he wore his golden locks like this.

_Maybe he can help me remember, un!_

The blonde ghost watched as the blackette locked eyes with him once again, then proceeded to open his mouth, and widen his red orbs. In an instant he shot himself off the wall, eyes huge and mouth slightly open. The others in the group suddenly became quiet, even the squabbling duo, and halted all their former actions. They watched the blackette with confused expressions, before slowly following his gaze.

The ghost could feel all their unique eyes targeted to him, but didn't dare look away from the not-so-stoic raven. He saw the blackette walk towards him, moving with a grace that could challenge his own.

The blonde knew he should run, not from danger, but because of the publicity of the homey coffee shop. It was much too crowded for a meeting such as this to take place.

With a challenging smirk, the blonde turned around and bolted. He sprinted through the downpour in the streets, obviously still dry. He ran as fast as his faded, dead legs would allow him. The boy hadn't a clue as to where he was leading them, simply that it had to be private.

Coming up to a four-way intersection, the blonde swerved right, vaguely acknowledging the fact that he was running back to the rubble of his run down abode. With a few more blocks left, he led them across an abandoned parking lot, two alley ways, then inside the building.

The ghost could hear the sound of multiple footsteps, along with the dripping of water droplets as they attacked the dirt covered floor.

_So the others came too, un…_

As the blonde led them through the grimy building, he couldn't help but wonder how in the _Hell_ they were able to see him. Why them, and not everybody else? It seemed so odd, peculiar even, that this group of misfit teenagers could make out his ghostly aura.

"Where are we? And who's the kid?" a voice called out. Everybody turned to spare a glance at the tall man with gills, whose hair was now folded down, sticking to his face and neck.

"Shush, Kisame," the oldest one, the man with all the piercings, ordered. He sloshed his way to the blackette's side. "Itachi, who is this boy?"

_Itachi, un… So that's his name… Kami does that name bring back memories…_

_Memories…_

They flooded the blonde's head as the duo once again began a heated battle of staring. The raven's eyes were still wide, along with the deep panting and sharp intakes of breath.

The ghost simply stood there, not breathing, considering he didn't even need too, and just watched.

The silence was deafening. The only sounds that echoed throughout the grime infested complex were the pants and drops of water that continuously hit the floor. With determined eyes, the blonde broke it.

"Itachi, un…" he murmured, feeling the way the name slipped out of his mouth. He looked down, and then flashed his azure eyes up again, nodding to himself.

"D…Deidara?" the blackette asked, taking a shaky step forward, closer towards the dead boy as he whispered the three syllables. "Is…is it really you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Don't ask how though…'cause I have no idea, un."

"No. No, this isn't possible!" Itachi gasped, covering his mouth with an unusually pale hand. The group of followers came closer, eyeing the blonde suspiciously before returning their gazes on their black haired friend.

"Itachi, what's wrong? What's impossible?" the blue haired woman asked, stepping to his said so their shoulders were touching, looking as if she was trying to hide the raven from the dead blonde.

"Because…" he breathed.

"Because why?" the red headed one edged, causing Deidara's eyes to flick to him for a second, before once again settling his bright blue eyes on the blood red ones.

"You can't tell?" Deidara asked the group, cocking his head to the side slightly, clearly confused.

"Tell what?" the pierced male snapped, glaring daggers at the blonde.

"That I shouldn't be here."

"Why shouldn't you be here?"

Itachi blinked. Once. Twice. A third time. He knew why the blonde shouldn't be here. He knew what happened so long ago. Hell, he was there when it happened! But no one else knew… Itachi cut into the conversation, silencing whatever Deidara was about to say.

"B…because, Leader-sama, Deidara…died. He's not alive…"

Silence.

There was dead silence.


	3. Don't Make Me Beg

_**Time: SasoDei Love Story**_

Chapter Two: Don't Make Me Beg

Silence.

There was dead silence.

It lasted for all but a second, for as soon as it came, it disappeared.

Everyone began shouting things all at once. Well…everyone besides four people. Okay, 3…and a half.

The stoic raven and dead blonde were once again engaged in a heated and tense session of staring, the red head standing next to said raven, simply eyeing Deidara silently, not make a peep. Lastly, there was the Leader. He just stood there, swirled eyes flickering between Itachi and Deidara, attempting to make sense of the situation. Attempting being the key word here…after all, there was no way ghosts could exist…right?

Wrong.

Oh so very, very wrong.

The Leader was beginning to get irritated with all the loud commotion, and found it quite difficult to think, let alone form one coherent thought. With a loud clearing of his dry throat, and a raise of his surprisingly non-pierced hand, all noise ceased immediately. Every pair of eyes, minus two, were locked on him, waiting for orders or to be scolded for childish behavior. As he looked towards his group of minions…and Deidara, he was taken aback to find that he was no longer looking at Itachi but his azure diamonds were playing their little game with the red head of the group. Blinking a few times, he proceeded to speak.

"Itachi…this boy obviously isn't dead, for he is standing right in front of us," he reasoned, deeming this an acceptable assumption for the time being.

"Leader-sama's right Itachi. There's no way the kid could be dead. Maybe the rain is getting to- what the Hell are you doing?" the shark man, now known as Kisame, agreed…or at least attempted (there's that word again) too before being cut off by the ghost boy waltzing towards him. His blue eyes were locked with his, a pleading and helpless emotion reflected off the glassy faded complexion.

"Please," the blonde whispered, desperation seeping from his voice, lacing his words like a bow on a present. "Please help me, un…" His eyes were wide, and if he had the ability to cry, he would be balling by now. For months had he been wandering this Hell hole, not being able to maintain, let alone start, a conversation with anyone but himself, and now he had finally found people who could see him. Not only that, but one was there when he died! But now, they didn't believe him? Were they _serious_?

"Help with what, brat?" It was the first time the red head had spoken since the group's not-so-little outburst only five minutes prior.

Deidara's head snapped around, looking desperately at the keeper of the velvet smooth voice.

"Get my memories back."

The brown-eyed boy, whose name Deidara had yet to learn, was about to respond, but the albino of the group beat him to it.

"What do you fucking mean by that, blondie?" he snapped.

The blonde frowned and looked down. How could he explain? They probably already think he's deranged and don't believe him, so how would this help? His stress level was now skyrocketing, and desperation was beginning to take over him. Itachi wouldn't be able to help just yet, since he has no idea what Deidara was talking about either.

"Well, un..." he started, trying in vain to find decent wording in which the group would comprehend easily.

"Deidara…is that your name sweety?" an angelic voice asked. The blonde looked towards the voice, seeing it was the woman in blue whom had taken the initiative to be gentle with him. He nodded, eyeing her with a silent plea in his eyes for some assistance.

"Yeah, who are you?"

"Konan," the blue girl smiled, not too sure if she should shake his hand or not. She hesitantly stepped towards him, eyes flashing from his blue orbs to his faded hand. "What did you mean by getting your memories back?"

Deidara pursed his lips, blowing lightly at his golden fringe.

"Exactly what I said, un," he replied as-a-matter-of-factly. His hair swayed from side to side as he tilted his head, frowning at the loss of flash-backs he was able to produce.

"Can you elaborate, sweety?" Konan asked, her eyebrows scrunched as she looked upon the ghost, whom simply shrugged.

"I have no memories. Not that I know of anyway, un. I mean, I have one or two, but the rest…I don't remember…" his voice faded off at the end, eye glazing over with frustration as he huffed out a breath of air.

"Did you think we would be able to help you?" she raised her eyebrows, looking at Itachi for a split second, then back at the blonde, who sighed.

"Well, I hoped you could. When I saw Itachi, I remembered something. I remember Itachi, and how he was there when I died. He called ambulance after that, un. That has to count for something…"

By now, everybody had their eyes trained on Deidara and the blackette, pupils flashing between the duo. There was a long and thick silence, so thick it could be cut by a serrated knife.

Finally, it was the Leader who broke the deafening silence.

"Deidara…there's no way you could be dead. It's not possible. I think you're just confused…"

Itachi's eyes snapped away from his former friend's, towards his now glaring Leader.

"B-but-" he began, only to be cut off by a hand making contact with his face. Itachi stumbled back, tripping over his own feet in the process, colliding with the floor a second later. His eyes were wide as he looked up at the orange-haired pin cushion. Gasps ricocheted off the walls, eyes unbelievably wide, and tension sky-rocketing. The blackette's eyes then narrowed dangerously, forming a menacing glare.

"No buts! This foolish child is just insane and mentally unstable! He did NOT die, and we will NOT help him! Understood, you whelp?" the Leader yelled, his anger flaring up so high, you could practically see flames reflecting off his eyes. Itachi said nothing, simply settled for glaring as his Leader attempted to regulate his breathing, clutching his hand to his now bruised cheek.

The group of teenagers were staring at the older man, shock evident on their faces as they all took a staggered step back. The orangette shot them all glares, daring them to run.

Deidara watched in horror as the older man made contact with Itachi. He was beyond furious. Nobody was allowed to lay a finger on the blackette! He could be able to help Deidara, dammit! Not only that, but it was just plain _wrong_!

Growling, the blonde clenched his fists.

"What the Hell was that for, un? You can't just go around punching people!" he hissed, voice dripping with venom. Everybody turned to look at the infuriated ghost, shocked that he would stand up like that. The oldest wasn't as impressed though, and turned his attention fully on Deidara.

"Excuse you? Do you have any idea who you're talking to, you little bastard?"

"Yeah! I'm talking to a complete ass hole that just hit Itachi, un! I wanna know why!"

"Watch your mouth-!"

"Or else what, huh? You'll hit me too, un? Go ahead! I'd like to see you try!"

"Hey! Is that how you talk to someone who was trying to help you?"

"Help me? Oh no. Oh Hell no! You weren't trying to help me, un! If you were, you would've listened from the start!"

"The only thing you've told us has been complete nonsense! You're insane and need serious help!"

"How am I insane, un?"

"You keep saying you're dead! How are you _not_ insane?"

"If I'm not dead, then how would I be able to do this, un?" Deidara snapped, throwing a punch at the Leader. His clenched fist flew right through the orangette's face, no pain being inflicted at all. To the Leader, whose name Deidara still didn't know, his skin felt cold and airy. Though he couldn't feel the blow, it knocked the wind out of him.

Deidara wasn't lying.

He really is dead.

As they all looked upon the squabbling duo in the middle of the room, the facts of today starting connecting in their heads. Deidara had been telling the truth from the very beginning. He was asking for help, and they refused to give it to him. Why?

Deidara removed his fist from the Leader's head, eyes showing nothing but raw misery.

"Believe me now, un?" he whispered, before bolting away, out of the room. They all watched as the ghost flew right through the wall, into the pouring rain which fell straight through him. They watched as the boy ran, his blonde hair swishing as his body moved.

No one said anything. They didn't even dare to breathe. Konan watched as the small ghost disappeared around a corner, and then back at her boyfriend, who was looking down at his hands.

"Itachi…" he breathed out, eyes settling on the figure being helped up by Kisame.

"What?" he snapped.

"I'm sorry, I just got overwhelmed…"

The blackette sighed, and rubbed his cheek. He understood. The Leader was pissed, and just took out his anger on the unfortunate soul that decided to snap the remaining patience he had.

"It's fine."

"What the fuck are we gonna do about blondie?" the albino asked, leaning up against the man he was fighting with back at the diner.

"**Leave him alone, he's just annoying.** No…we should help him, He looked so sad," the one with green hair argued against himself. "Leader-sama, what do you think?"

The pin cushion held his head up, looking around the gloomy, worn down room at all his fellow minions. They gazed back, their decisions clear in their eyes.

"We're going to help him."

They all nodded. No one disagreed, or dared to argue.

"Let's go find him," he ordered, ushering out all the unruly teenagers before him.

As they all left the abandoned building, stepping foot in the plummeting rain, they all felt the true effect of what had just happened.

They were going to help a ghost regain his memories.

A ghost.

But not just any ghost…

"Deidara…" the red head breathed, his eyes scanning the horizon for the blonde boy he desperately wanted to know more about.


	4. Dr Seuss's Riddle

_**Time: SasoDei Love Story**_

_**Okay guys, you actually learn a lot in this one chapter. Some of Deidara's past, and how he's connected with Itachi. I might've made it a bit obvious, but idk, that's up for you to decide. Leave a review (PWEASE!) and tell me what you think is up with them! **_

_**Enjoy!**_

Chapter Three: Dr. Seuss's Riddle

Once Deidara rounded the corner of the drenched streets of Japan, he paused.

_Why am I running?_

He pondered that thought for a few moments, settling for a slow trudge for the time being. The hustle and bustle of the people had died down, and Deidara could faintly hear the sounds of the cars and factories off in the distance, along with the rain that sloshed as people traipsed through it. The dawn was quickly turning into dusk; the sky was sprinkled with baby pink and neon orange in the horizon, the glowing blue dimming and fading into a black void.

Deidara traipsed in a direction unbeknownst to him. He was so lost within his consuming thoughts; he vaguely acknowledged that he was now settled in a rusty swing, at a distant park, about five or so miles away from the building he had escaped from.

_Oh…now I remember._

The blonde sighed, feeling the air hit his golden bangs as some stray strands of hair snapped angrily at his face. In all honesty, he wasn't sure why he felt so surprised or saddened. What were the odds of a group of strangers and a kid he barely remembered, helping him with getting his memories back? What, one in a million? _Maybe _that much, if not less?

Shaking his flustered head, the blonde began rocking back and forth, the swing he was on mimicking his movements at a slow and steady pace. Deidara smiled as he felt the wind brush past his cheeks…well, more like smiled as he felt the wind flow _through_ his cheeks, but we must digress. His manifestation is none of our concern. Until later, that is.

Off in the distance, Deidara could vaguely decipher the sweet melody of his identity, floating through the delicate, twilight-coated breeze. His ghostly head snapped in the direction of the noise maker, or makers, and, though blind in one eye, he was able to make out nine silhouettes reflected softly off into the horizon, which were quickly approaching his not-so-discreet location.

"What do they want, un?" he sighed, letting a large huff make its grand appearance at the end of his question, in turn making his speech impediment sound slurred and drunken. The blonde rolled his azure eyes, lazily eyeing the frantic group as they oh-so-subtly (the Akatsuki are nothing, if not subtle) bursted into the park. They were sure to make so much commotion that even the bomber would flinch – though whether or not all that was intentional was questionable.

"Deidara!"

_Ah, so, he was the one calling my name._

The blonde blinked slowly, his blue diamond's gazing up to look up at the fiery black and red eyes of none other than Uchiha Itachi. The raven was standing directly in front of him, hands on the rusted down metal chains of the swing set he was riding on just a few minutes prior, halting his movements.

"Yes, un?" he asked irritably, frustrated that his swing set fun was taken from him, and he desperately wanted to return to it.

"We have to tell you something," Itachi replied, choosing to ignore the irritated aura that surrounded the blonde teenager.

"Oh?" Deidara asked, standing up and floating straight through Itachi, then proceeding to lean against the faded red pole that held up the contraption that he had once been swinging on. "Is it that I deserve to be put in a straight jacket, un, or that you wanted to use me to make a sequel to Paranormal Activities?"

"As wonderful as those fucking ideas are, blondie, we want to help you," the albino interjected, smirking at the raised eyebrows of the flustered blonde.

"Who're you?" was the hesitant answer.

"Hidan, nice to fucking meet you!"

"Hidan! Must you be so loud?" the miser next to him snapped, shoving his wallet back into the pocket of his faded black jeans.

"Oh shut the Hell up Kuzu, I'm just being friendly."

Deidara watched the exchange of words with an amused smile. The entire thing was sweet, in a way. He may be a stranger, but he could tell the two were inseparable. Whether they were dating, let alone gay, was a whole other question, mind you.

"Guys, shut up before I kill you both," Konan warned, giving the duo a smack on the back of their heads. Ignoring the choice swear words from Hidan and a silent glare from 'Kuzu', she turned to give a sickeningly sweet smile to Deidara, who had a large smile plastered on his faded face. "Hello sweetie."

"Hi Konan, un."

"How are you?"

"Oh, just dandy, un."

Konan laughed, nodding her head at his sarcasm. Her laughter was cut short as her pin cushion boyfriend cleared his throat, stepping up to claim Deidara's attention. In return, the blonde just glared at him. A glare so steel like it could've both frozen Hell and melted concrete at the same time.

"Hello Deidara."

"What do you want, un?"

He sighed, knowing he wouldn't be making any progress like this. The blonde wanted nothing to do with him, he could tell.

"We wanted to help you."

"Why?"

"Deidara…" this time it was Itachi who cut in, those vortexes that he called eyes, boring into the glowing azure ones.

"Itachi."

"May I have a word with you for a moment? Alone."

A sigh. "Sure, un."

With a nod, the Uchiha prodigy and ghostly blonde arose, the raven taking the lead, walked with God like grace to a distant end of the park. Itachi was aware of the eyes watching them so intently. He could feel the cold, heated, slit like eyes boring into his spine as he turned his back on group of eight. The two of them settled under the monkey bars, the blonde looking at him with raised eyebrows, the Uchiha gazing back with dead, stoic eyes.

"Deidara, do you remember anything of your past?" Itachi's dead eyes would never leave his, the three colors clashed and you could practically see strings attached to them as the eye contact was made.

"Just a few things, un."

Deidara loved beating around the bush; Itachi knew that from personal experience. He loved playing mind games, only giving straight answers when he had his own reason too.

"Would you care to tell me them?"

"Why would I do that, _Ita-chan_?"

That name. Itachi remembered that name. Hmm… Interesting. The blonde did as well. The Uchiha smirked, danger and amusement swimming in his eyes. He looked towards the group of eight, all wordlessly watching the duo. Giving a nod to Deidara, a signal only the blonde seemed to understand, his smirk grew more pronounced. Deidara smirked right back, chuckling lightly.

"You haven't changed at all, have you?"

"Of course not, un. Leader did make me a certain way."

"Hmm…have you been in contact with him?"

"What do you think?"

Sigh. Such a pain sometimes. "Will you ever give me a straight answer, you little pest?" Itachi smiled. That had always been a joke between them. The blonde loved calling him Ita-chan; in return, he was called a pest. It was a mutual love-hate friendship they took comfort in.

"What do you think?" the blonde didn't miss a beat. He smiled back, giving a soft, airy chuckle at the other's frustration. "Leader put us together for a reason. Surely an Uchiha such as yourself could've figured that out, un."

"Well of course, you pest. Leader always has his reasons. Speaking of which, he is watching us now."

"Is he, un? Oh, well, can he hear us?"

"He hears everything."

"Is that so? Well, un, hello Leader-sama. It's been a while. I'm sure we'll see each other soon."

"We have an…appointment with him. He needs to check you over, especially those hands of yours."

"Check me over? I'm a ghost, un, what could he possibly do?"

"Do you remember the project? The project which made us the way we are?"

"How could I forget? It's why we are here now, un."

"Exactly. He's altered it, you see. That's why we must see him. He's even told me he's working on a way to bring you back to life."

"That's quite gracious of him, un. I do appreciate that, Leader-sama. I assure you, shall it be completed, I will not fail you, un."

"You should be grateful, you little pest. He's working so hard on you. Maybe you won't blow it this time."

"Hey! You're just jealous that you won't be the star pupil anymore, un."

Snicker, snicker, a roll of the eyes (the black and red vortex eyes, to be exact), and a smile from both parties that stand under the old, rusted monkey bars.

"Ita-chan, how long must we play this game with them, un?" Azure eyes pointed to the swings.

The remaining eight were idly chatting with each other; the man with green hair pushed the one with the mask on the swing, smiling as the one with the mask giggled and clapped happily as he flew back and forth. The one with piercings and his lover stood, leaning against the poles holding up the metal contraption, smiling lightly. The zealot and miser were arguing again, but were laughing at the same time. They were starting their game of pointless banter, the fuel to their friendship. The blue, fish-like one was making small talk with the one with the red hair.

"I find him interesting, you know, un."

"Hmm?" the Uchiha looked towards the blonde, following the ghost's gaze to the tallest and shortest members of Akatsuki. "If you mean the shark, back off, he's mine."

Chuckle, chuckle, a shake of the head. Golden strands following the movements.

"You can have him. I have my sights set on the red head."

"Sasori? Why him?"

"Well, why not? He's…interesting."

"It's allowed, you know. Leader actually encourages it."

"Really, un?" Deidara smiled. His eyes turned mischievous, a grin to match. "Well who are we to disobey Leader?"

"Like I said, pest, sharky's mine."

"Have him. Touch my scorpling, and you'll be the dead one."

Chuckle, chuckle.

Snicker, snicker.

"Itachi! Deidara! C'mon! It's getting late!"

The two turned around, nodding towards the tallest, bluest member of Akatsuki. With a smile, Deidara nodded and began walking towards the group of eight, Itachi by his side.

"See, you've upset him."

"Me, un? No, that was all you, Ita-chan."

"Stupid pest."

"Love you too, bastard, un."

As they approached their group, Deidara gave a breath-taking smile, nodding at the Akatsuki's leader.

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced, un. I'm Deidara."

"Pein," the pin cushion responded, smiling back as he nodded at the blonde. "This is Konan," he waved to the woman in blue. "Zetsu," the one with green hair and split personality, his skin tones matching his attitude. "Tobi," the masked one. "Kakuzu," the stitched up miser. "Hidan," the zealot albino. "Kisame," the shark like boy that seemed to be claimed by Itachi. "Itachi," the raven himself. "and lastly, Sasori," the sexy redhead that the blonde himself claimed.

Deidara gave a polite wave and soft smile. His golden hair was flowing behind him, curling around his mad back with every turn of the head and soft kiss of the breeze.

"It's chilly** and pretty damn late**, should we **get our asses back to the lair**?" Zetsu suggested, hushing his black side as it made some unnecessary curses.

Pein nodded, motioned for everyone to follow him. He clasps Konan's hand in his and began walking back to the place they called home. Everyone followed, smiling and laughing and shoving each other. There were two, who just settled for smirking, albeit in a rather devilish fashion, and followed at the end of the group. At the gates of the abandoned, once over used park, the two paused, sparing one last glance at the monkey bars, briefly making contact with a pair of eyes. Slit eyes made of sinister intentions.

A smirk from the blonde, a tilt of the head from the raven, and the two were off. They walked side by side, heads held high, eyes filled with both loyalty and Hell.


	5. Canary

_**Time: SasoDei Love Story**_

_**You guys better be happy. I wrote this entire chapter on Sticky Notes and flash cards! Please review, darlings (constructive criticism would be nice and is highly advised)! I'm sorry for the OOC-ness in this chapter (mainly for Sasori). And people, thank you to all that had reviewed, you all make my day :). This is dedicated for you :D**_

Chapter Four: Canary

The next twinkling sunrise was an interesting one. Let it be clearly stated that the Akatsuki all share a small, cramped, but quant little apartment complex near the northern downtown area, located in a building next to their favorite cute coffee shop, Uni. Now, this apartment has three separated bedrooms, two pathetically puny bathrooms, a decently sized kitchen, and a cozy living room area. Don't be fooled by the limited amount of space though, for these eight teenage boys and one female (Jashin bless her soul) had a highly thought out and logical plan for their sleeping arrangements for when they first moved in together.

Yeah…don't you wish?

Hell no.

In one claustrophobic sleeping room, which happened to be the Master Bedroom was the Leader himself, Pein and his girlfriend Konan, opting to split a room with each other rather than the other seven imbeciles. The two split a queen sized bed, a small desk placed in the far, top right corner of the room. Connected to the Northern wall of the Master Bathroom was their shared bathroom. Inside it was a tub and shower, sink, an old counter top - which was painted blue to match the walls - and a cabinet filled with lip gloss, piercings of all sorts, and make up off all variety.

Outside the Master Bedroom, was a long, dark hallway, leading out to the kitchen and the living room. Connected to the corridor were the two smaller bedrooms. In one room, the one located closest to Pein and Konan's room, lay three beds. Each bed claimed its own area in different corners of the room.

In the top right corner, was a small, single person bed, covered with a black quilt, a circle and upside down triangle, designed poorly in the center of it. The quilt was jumbled up, partially thrown off to the side, hanging down to the floor. The pillows were indented, small wet marks staining it from the countless times it's been chewed or drooled upon. On the bed was a body, stark naked, facing downward and sprawled in all directions. The body was snoring lightly, occasionally giving a grunt or kick at nothing in particular.

Beside that bed, in the lower right hand corner, was a twin sized bed. This one wasn't in any better condition. The neon orange comforter was strewn across the floor, most likely kicked away sometime during the cloudy night. The owner was lying in a rather awkward position, mask thrown carelessly under his black pillows, face buried under his sun-kissed arms. His legs were wide open, revealing his yellow and blue polka-dotted boxers to the world.

Across from him was a more…confined being. The bed itself was neat, the blood red covers smoothed out, settling around the entity perfectly. The boy in the bed was lying on his side, black hair let loose from his usual ponytail, sprawled all around him like a demotic halo. His face was unusually innocent looking, the normal scowl wiped off until he awakens once again. He was sleeping as straight as a pin, the muscles in his back barely relaxed as he slept.

Clothes were rained all across the floors. Boxers, shirts, jeans, sweat pants, jackets, everything of the sort was scattered so thickly that only small segments of the wooden floor could actually be seen. Of course, no clothes even touched the area near the bed in the lower left hand corner. Oh Lord no. That spot was probably the only _safe_ one in the room.

Outside in the hallway, right next to the three person room, was another, albeit this one has four people occupying it.

Once again, all the beds were placed in the far corners of the dusty room. One in the top right, another top left, then bottom right, and finally bottom left. This room was different though. It was so much…_neater_ than the three person territory. Only a few spare clothes, along with shoes, were carelessly tossed aside. Besides that though, not a speck was out of place.

In this clearance, the bed in the top right hand corner had a pitch black comforter, which was tightly cocooned around a small, red haired figure. The adolescent was facing the wall, a leg outstretched whilst the other was slightly bent. Hands curled into his chest, gripping the thick blanket with such force that the knuckles turned white. His hair was scrappy, splayed all over his face and making his pillow look bloody, despite it actually being bleach clean.

Across from him was a large bed with dark, blue tinted covers. The body that was lying spread-eagled across it had a light blue hue himself. This teenager was facing upward, on his back, arms hanging off the sides of the bed, feet dangling from the side. He was snoring quite loudly, surprisingly not awakening his fellow bunk mates. His covers lay on the bed, only he decided it would be wise to sleep _on top_ of them, not under. His blue hair was shockingly flat as it rested upon his white pillows.

Underneath this bed, in the lower left hand corner was a mass of green. The covers were a dark, moldy green, same as the pillow cases and sheets that lay under the thick top. The color oddly matched the tone and hue of money, the only difference being that dollar bills don't come in such a large size. Sadly. The lump that rested beneath the surface of the comforter was lying on his side, facing away from the wall. His arm was stretched out, dangling off the bed as his other clutched the sheets closer towards his chest. His brunette hair stuck to his shoulders and pillows, clinging lifelessly to the body that acted as its host.

Finally, directly across from the money whore was a lime green bed. The cover itself was a blinding bright green, the sheets underneath being black and the pillow cases and pillows that rest inside were both white. The man whom possessed this substratumwas curled into a tight ball, attempting to sustain all the heat he had in his body. You see, this poor soul unfortunately got the ultimate pleasure of getting the bedrock that lay directly under the air conditioning system, which was blasting at the moment. He shivered lightly, struggling to pull the thick comforter up, praying it would just consume him in the magic that is its warmth. The man's hair danced against the pillow case, his face contorted into one of frustration and anguish.

Now, even though these seven beings were sleeping somewhat peacefully, didn't mean they were the only ones that resided in the home. Outside of this room and into the kitchen were three more people, surprisingly awake and moving.

One of these beings had bright orange hair, which, shockingly, was all natural. On his face were only Jashin knows how many holes, filled with metal piercings, along with an equal amount of metal covering his ears. His swirled eyes looked surprisingly awake, despite it being so early in the morning.

Besides this orangette was a woman of blue. Her hair was a deep blue, almost the hue of purple. She had her own share of metal piercings, but kept it to a decent amount of three. A clip on each ear lobe, presenting cute diamond stud ear rings, along with a snake bit, and a single stud nose piercings.

Finally, across from the bundle of blue sunshine was a man. Well….as much of a man that an apparition could be. This man was the dead one, just a ghostly presence. He sat, golden strands of blonde hair and dazzling diamond azure eyes both radiating an ecstatically happy aura. He had no piercings indented into his flawless complexion. The blonde's skin looked saint like, his entire body screaming 'angel'.

These three entities were seated around a small, rectangular table, in the middle of a heated conversation on the blonde ghost's memories, or lack thereof. On the table were two cups, filled to the brim with steaming coffee and sweet sugar. The three were the only ones who were awake at this God awful time of day.

"So sweety, how old are you?" the female asked.

The blonde flashed her a sad smile and replied with nineteen, and the traditionally 'un' added to his answer.

"You died at only nineteen?" she gasped.

"Yeah," he shrugged.

"And you don't know how?" this time the oldest male spoke up, his metal shimmering in the light. His face was confused, doubtful.

"Not a clue, un."

"That's horrible."

The blonde shrugged once again, only more nonchalantly. He grinned and waved his hand dismissively.

"It's okay, honestly it's kinda fun."

"Fun?" the woman asked, eyebrows raised in question.

"Yeah, un! I can walk through walls, don't have to eat or anything like that, and I have all the time in the world to do whatever I want!" he exclaimed, excitement dancing visibly in his diamond eyes. The way his hand moves as he spoke only proved his excitement further.

"Then how are you sitting in this chair if you can go through things? And how were you able to ride that swing without disappearing through it?"

"Easy, un, manifestation. That's not a myth, you know. All I have to do is take some energy from your phones or lights, anything that attracts electricity. But I can never manifest fully, I can only do simple stuff like being able to sit or walk, un."

"When Deidara was alive he was always complaining on how he couldn't fly. The pest always wanted to be a bird or something."

The three entities all averted their gazes to the door way, their eyes being met with the sight of a stoic looking blackette by the name of Uchiha Itachi. The raven had his hair down for once, it falling around his shoulders like a black veil. His eyes were half lidded, blinking lazily every now and then. Itachi traipsed towards the half full coffee machine, pouring himself a cup with the mug that sat on the counter top.

"Itachi, you're awake particularly early," the oldest smirked, nodding in greeting to his fellow Akatsuki member.

"Hidan was snoring unusually loud this morning. I wasn't able to fall back asleep," he sighed, taking a seat beside the blonde ghost. Said blonde looked over at him and gave a smile, along with a wave in greeting. The blackette returned the greeting, albeit tiredly. "Good morning Deidara, Konan, Pein-sama."

"Itachi," Konan smiled.

"Why were you in Hidan's room, un?" asked the blonde, tilting his head slightly in question.

"They all share rooms. Itachi splits with Hidan and Tobi," Pein answered, getting up momentarily to set up another pot of coffee to be made.

"What about you guys, un, and the other four?"

"Oh, Pein and I share a room. The others all have their own room right next to Itachi's. Everybody here has to share," Konan yawned, taking a small sip from her white mug, filled to the brim with the Godly brown liquid that fueled their existence.

"Yeah, and it's a living Hell to live with these two when they're in the _mood_."

Deidara, along with Konan, looked at the door and were greeted with the sight of a certain redhead. His hair was scrappy and messed up, proudly declaring that its owner had just rolled out of bed (literally).

"Hey Sasori, un," Deidara smiled, waving up at the redhead who lazily plopped down on the seat beside him, making Deidara sit in between him and the Uchiha.

"Hello brat," Sasori responded, smiling back at the blonde boy. "Hey Konan, get me a cup of coffee?" he grinned sleepily, eyeing the coffee pot as if it were made of gold.

"Lazy ass," she mumbled under her breath, reluctantly getting up to retrieve the scorpion's glass.

"Thanks," he acknowledged, ceasing her mumbling with one of his signature flirty grins, earning him a smack to the head by Pein, and an amused glare from Konan. "Oh you know I'm joking!" he laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Baka," sighed Itachi, shaking his head at the immaturity of his bunk mates. Deidara looked over at the blackette, giggling as the redhead merely waved a hand in dismissal at the comment.

As Deidara was about to say something, he was cut off by an explosion, or…something similar of the sorts.

"JASHIN DAMMIT KAKUZU! I WAS SLEEPING!"

"Oh shut up and get your ass to the kitchen. I still have to wake up Tobi."

All that could be heard was a loud thump, multiple curses, and then feet stomping in the direction of the kitchen.

"You idiot! Put some clot-."

"OH SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

That was the last comment said before the Jashinist stormed into the kitchen…in all his birthday suit glory.

Both Konan and Pein looked away with irritated huffs, Pein's hand shooting in front of his lover's eyes in an attempt to conceal what was left of her innocence. Itachi just looked at Hidan indifferently, already use to seeing his roommate stark naked. Deidara's eye twitched, before he averted his gaze to the metal man, catching his apologetic gaze. Sasori, on the other hand, promptly leaned back and wolf-whistled, fist-pumping the air whilst laughing hysterically. Hidan shot his a glare, before waltzing straight inside and claiming a cup, pouring coffee into it rather harshly.

As he sat down across from Sasori and began gulping down his steaming hot liquid gold, the man whom woken up the zealot walked calmly into the kitchenette. He took one look at Hidan, before catapulting a pillow into the albino's face, grumbling cruel words as he tossed a pair of boxers in the man's direction.

"Don't argue, and put those on. _Now_," he snapped dangerously. The albino just cursed at him for a few moments, then tempestuously slipped on the black and white boxers.

Deidara remained silent, watching all the events unfold with a rather amused expression. His eyes flickered to Itachi, who met his gaze and gave a subtle roll of the eyes. The blonde smirked before looking back at the comic relief the duo gave.

"Where are Kisame, Tobi, and Zetsu?" Sasori suddenly asked, bringing the squabbling duo out of their vocal hostilities.

"Tobi and Zetsu are probably having sexual intercourse each other, and Kisame is asleep," the blackette responded coolly, ignoring Hidan's outburst of 'do you have a stick up your ass? Just say fucking!' and things of that sort.

"TOBI IS NOT DOING THAT!" a higher pitched voice screeched, bolting inside the crowded cookery, followed by a man with green hair and a taller one with blue.

"Good morning Tobi," Konan smiled at the masked man, then turned to greet Kisame and Zetsu.

As the unfledged man waved rhapsodically at everybody in the kitchen area, his eye(s) landed on the semi floating Deidara, who happened to be sitting in a chair just in his arms reach.

Tobi then decided it would be a good idea to pounce on Deidara, obviously forgetting the fact that he would _fly through_ the blonde. About ten seconds later Tobi was on the floor, staring dumbly up at the blonde who looked down innocently at him.

"Woah! Senpai! Can you teach me how to do that?" the juvenile exclaimed, shooting back up into a sitting position. His childish innocence was overwhelming, and Deidara found himself snickering.

"Sorry Tobi, un, but I can't," he grinned apologetically, now suddenly aware that everybody was watching the interaction between him and the overly grown child.

"Aww… Okay. If Senpai says so," it sounded pouty at best. He then proceeded to snap up off the floor, and glomp the green haired male. "Zetsu! Let's go to the park! Please! Please! Please!"

"**No!** Sure Tobi, let's go."

"YAY! Thank you Zetsu-san!"

"**Whatever**, no problem Tobi."

The masked man bolted out of the kitchen, leaving an exasperated Zetsu to trudge after him, and the group of eight to shake their heads, roll their eyes, or a combination of the two. After the duo left, things seemed to mellow out, to an extent. All the coffee disappeared in the next five minutes, slowly pulling the newly awoken beings from their leftover slumber. The group then decided it would be fun to do things outside, with their selected partners to accompany them.

"Hey, Itachi! C'mon!" Kisame grinned, sharkish teeth glimmering in the light of the glowing aubade. He latched onto the stoic raven's arms, all but dragging him away from the kitchen. Itachi willingly complied, but not before catching the conciliated smile that graced his blonde best friend's pink lips.

"Hn," was all the blackette said, directing his statement to the blue eyed male rather than the taller man dragging him away.

As the two left, all that remained were the squabbling duo of Kakuzu and Hidan, the loving couple Pein and Konan, and the acquaintances Deidara and Sasori. Said blonde just smirked, shaking his head at the blackette's phlegmatic ways. The Leader and his girlfriend took this time to take their leave, scurrying off to do whatever it was that they could entertain themselves with (Deidara didn't really want to know how…). Kakuzu and Hidan began chasing each other throughout the apartment, making threats whenever possible.

"Hey, brat," the scorpion verbalized, looking towards the blonde that was gazing around the cooking area.

"Hmm, un?"

"Wanna go somewhere?"

"Where?"

"Anywhere."

"Sure."

Sasori looked over as Deidara met his eyes, flashing his most awe-inspiring smile towards the red head. The scorpion just smiled back, feeling goose bumps shiver up his body and spine at the sight of such beauty from a figure that looks so angelic. There was silence for a while, the two just watching each other in peace.

Outside the window, were noises. The noises didn't frighten the two, the sounds weren't loud or obnoxious. In fact, they were tranquil, peaceful. The blonde whipped around, his strings of gold following the movement and swirling around Deidara's torso and tickling his back and arms.

"Canaries, un…" he breathed, smiling as his smoldering azure eyes met with the colors of the singing bird.

"You like 'em?" inquired the brown eyed Akatsuki member, watching Deidara as he walked slowly towards the window, smiling all the way.

"Yeah, they just sound so…pretty."

"Hmm…why don't we go to a park nearby? They have a nature walk, got lots of birds," Sasori smirked, persuading the boy to agree to the proposition.

"Okay, sure, un," was the giggled response. He looked over to the scorpion, nodding and batting his long, black eyelashes in an innocently sweet way.

"Great," he smiled, watching intently as Deidara returned his gaze to the melodic singing from the heavenly creatures that took home in the trees outside.

As he turned his head to partake in the symphonic concert with the blonde, he couldn't help but think that maybe his life, and luck, would take a turn for the better.


	6. The Caged Dove

_**Time: SasoDei Love Story**_

_**Sorry for last chapter! It was mostly a filler just to get to this one! And sorry for the wait! I tried posting two other little things to make up for it! I hope I can make up my poor filler chapter with this one… So you learn some stuff on Deidara's past here! Please do enjoy, and review (constructive criticism please!)**_

Chapter Five: The Caged Dove

The sun was perched midway in the baby blue sky; small tufts of clouds were sprinkled around, painting elegant pictures with their shapes and sizes. Birds of all colors chirped, singing their sweet melodies to the entities beneath them. There were two boys who sat under a Sakura tree that was now in full bloom, spreading her pink petals to create a semi slanted veil around the slim trunk.

"I haven't been here in years, un," the one that decided to sit on one of the lower branches breathed, smiling as he looked around at his surroundings.

There were couples and children running along a dirt path that curved around the entire park. About fifteen yards away was a swing set, where a family were pushing three children back and forth, basking in the laughter that admitted from their off spring. All along the light green meadows were couples having small picnics, giggling and laughing in bliss.

"You've been here before?" the one that had seated himself on the ground asked as he rested his back against the trunk of the tree, flashing his light brown eyes towards the blonde.

"Well of course. Who hasn't?" he laughed, his voice sounding like bells chiming in the crisp, evening wind.

"How do you remember that?"

"Hmm…I don't know, un. It's just one of those things that you don't really forget, I suppose."

The red head looked away from the blonde to watch as a pair of blue jays danced around the tree, twittering to each other.

"Pretty, aren't they, un?"

"Yeah, I guess."

There was a long, comfortable silence that stretched over the duo. They just sat around the tree and watched as the birds seemed to intertwine their wings together in a small sign of affection, before flittering off into the horizon. The silence only lasted a bit longer once the birds seemed to have disappeared, before it was broken by the blonde.

"Hey…Sasori?"

"Hmm?"

"Why…un…why are you guys helping me?"

Sasori looked over towards Deidara, meeting the curious azure eye that seemed to bore into his own with such emotion it almost knocked him over.

"Because our Leader ordered us too."

Deidara stared at Sasori with an expression the scorpion couldn't read. Had he said something wrong? The blonde blinked before acquiring a heart broken look on his face that could also be described as if he was in pure anguish.

"O…oh, un."

"Is everything alright?"

The blonde looked down and blinked rapidly, before once again looking up to see Sasori staring at him with an expression that ranged between confusion and concern.

"U-…um yeah. Yeah I'm fine, un."

"Sure?"

"Mhm, t-totally fine."

"Why'd you ask?"

"Ask w-what, un?"

"Why we wanted to help."

"Oh, ya know, just c-curious, un."

"S-sir?"

The duo looked up to see a little girl, looking about the age of seven, watching them intently.

"You look sad…" she frowned, walking slowly towards Deidara before stopping under the tree branch he was perched on.

"You can see him?" Sasori asked incredulously. He watched as the small child reached out to poke Deidara's foot, only to feel cold air bite her finger.

"Of course! But he looks sad. Why are you sad, sir?" she whispered the last part, tilting her head so she could gaze into his blue eyes which could challenge the ocean and sky themselves.

"Please, just call me Deidara, un," he smiled, looking down at the small child who was now waving her hand back and forth between his faded foot, feeling the cold air waft between her fingers and tingle her skin.

"D…Deidara," she smiled in victory, finally getting his name right after stuttering and attempting to find the right pronunciation.

"Yeah, and what's your name, un?"

"Me? Oh! I'm Hanabi! I was here playing with my friend Naruto-kun!"

At the sound of the boy's name, Deidara's eyes seemed to widen tenfold, and he froze. Sasori took notice, but remained silence and confused, trying in vain to make sense of the situation at hand. The little child, now known as Hanabi, pointed her eyes to Deidara before blinking, then smiling largely.

"Do you know Naru-kun?" she beamed.

Deidara looked down, his eyes becoming filled with grief and pain. The little went higher, and decided to poke him on knee to regain his attention. With success, the blonde met the child's eye and she re-asked her question.

"Yeah, I did know him. We used to be…friends, un."

Deidara sighed, before smiling sadly at Hanabi. The little child met his sad gaze, before frowning.

"Do you wanna see him then?" she asked, giving a smile up at the depressed ghost. "He's over there with his girlfriend Hinata!"

"He has a girlfriend now?" Deidara gave a small smile, looking at the girl who was pointing to the left of the tree.

"Yeah! And he says he loves her all the time! He even said he would marry her one day! So! So! You wanna see him?"

By the time the girl finished her question she was bouncing up and down excitedly, grinning like a giddy idiot. Deidara's lip twitched upwards in the slightest, before he sighed, and nodded. Hanabi squealed before clapping happily and extending her hand as an invitation for the ghost to take. The blonde grinned before placing his manifested hand within hers and let her drag him to the left of the pink veil on the tree.

"Do you wanna say hi to him too?" she giggled, happily dragging him over to the petals before slowly opening the veil.

Before them stood two different figures, both seating themselves on a red and white classic checkerboard blanket, a small basket in between them. One of the teenagers had bright blonde hair and eyes that matched Deidara's. Each of his cheeks had three lines, almost resembling whiskers. He was currently feeding a girl with pale eyes and dark, straight hair a grape. The boy laughed as his girlfriend flushed, and Deidara found himself smiling slightly, before biting his lip and chuckling a sad laugh.

Hanabi looked up at him and smiled, giving his hand a small, reassuring squeeze.

"That's Naru-kun and Onee-san! See! They love each other!" the small child laughed, pointing at the dup as Naruto leaned down to give Hinata a small peck on her lips.

"Yeah, un, they do," Deidara whispered, blinking away the tears that threatened to leak from his eyes. At that moment, Hinata and Naruto looked towards Hanabi and Deidara and called out.

"Hanabi! C'mon! Let's eat!" Naruto yelled, waving his hand like an idiot before laughing at the eye roll Hinata gave him.

"Coming Naru!" she responded back, giving him a thumb's up as he turned back to tend to his girlfriend. "Are you coming, Deidei?" she giggled.

The blonde looked down at Hanabi, before shaking his head slowly.

"No, I'll stay here, un. It was nice meeting you, Hanabi," he smiled, patting her head gently.

"You too!" the child grinned, giving his a small hug from around his slim waist. Deidara smiled a sad smile and rubbed her hair, before ushering her towards her sister. "Bye!" she laughed, running towards the duo.

"Bye…" he whispered, vaguely noting the fact that Sasori was now standing beside him.

"Deidara?" the red head asked, looking at him with a concerned expression. "Do you know them?"

The blonde looked over at the red head, nodding slowly before sighing.

"Yeah…I know them, un."

"From where?"

As the duo looked towards the three who seated themselves on the blanket, Deidara smiled.

"That's my Otōto…my little brother… He always did have a crush on her, un…"

Sasori's head snapped to face Deidara, who had a melancholy expression on his face before smiling sadly and turning around.

"Let's go, okay?"

"Yeah, sure…"

As the two turned back around to head to their abode, Sasori caught sight of Hanabi giving them a smile and a wave. He returned the gesture, albeit in a less enthusiastic way. His eyes wandered towards Naruto, who looked so much like Deidara, and he felt a tang of sadness for the two blonde's.

"Sasori, un? You coming?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, c'mon," he sighed, facing Deidara once again.

The due began their way to the house, Deidara remaining silent the entire way. At the outskirts of the park, Deidara turned around and whispered a final farewell.

"Good bye Naruto and Hanabi, hopefully we'll meet again, un."


	7. The Three Musketeers

_**Time: SasoDei Love Story**_

_**Sorry for the long wait -.-**_

_**Here ya go! :) (Constructive Criticism is highly appreciated) By the way: **__**Nanji no masut**__**ā**__** o hatasu means 'serve thy master' and Kare no meirei ni ny**__**u**__**satsu means 'bid his orders'**_

_**Enjoy and Happy Halloween!**_

Chapter Six: The Three Musketeers

The next morning was quickly dawning itself upon the Akatsuki and ghostly phenomenon. With the moon drawing farther away, the teen organization had already settled themselves down for sleep within the rundown apartment complex. At the current hour of one o'clock in the morning, all the members had nestled themselves in their respective rooms, leaving Deidara to sit alone in the living room. His azure eyes flashed from wall to wall, corner to corner, on his face was a rare stoic expression, hints of boredom creeping upon his feature.

In the background, a faint '_click_' could be heard, ghost like footsteps following the noise. As the figure approached the room that which contained Deidara, the blonde hadn't even needed to turn around to know who it was. He allowed a smirk on his face as the silhouette leaned against the door frame, looking down at the ghost.

"Ita-chan, un."

"Pest."

"Is it time?"

"Yes, let's go."

With Saint like grace, the duo silently slithered their way outside, the blackette gently slipping the door closed whilst the blonde simply floated through it. The soft, crisp breeze flew through the atmosphere, sending chills down both of their spines.

"Do you know where the lair is, un?"

"Of course I do. Do you not remember?"

"Of course I remember! I was merely making sure it hasn't changed."

"Hn, just follow, pest."

"Whatever you say, Ita-chan."

Both entities began flying through the wind with unordinary speed, their feet making contact with the freshly dew coated grass every so often, giving them the extra push to begin soaring again. No words were passed between them, the only noise coming from the wind that whizzed by their ears. Trees flew past the two, and with a questioning look from the blonde to Itachi, the blackette took the lead. As Itachi darted from tree to tree, Deidara only a step behind, the ghost could feel an old feeling beginning to resurface in his stomach.

_This'll be the first time seeing Leader-sama in years… I wonder if he still looks the same, along with Abu…_

"We're nearing the lair, lookout for traps," he faintly hear Itachi call out over his shoulder, flashing the red and black eyes to meet the azure ones.

"Got it, un!"

Deidara was able to make out the booby-traps that hung down from the tree tops, ducking just in time, or leaning away just the precise measure to avoid setting them off. Both the males had learned from previous experience that they had to be light on their feet if they didn't want to deal with multiple poisoned senbons shot into various parts of the body later.

"Slow down, we're here."

The blonde glanced up to see Itachi on the lightly tinted brown grass, his eyes trained on Deidara. The ghost dropped down beside the blackette, nodding silently before regaining his usually cocky façade.

"Has Leader-sama changed much, un?"

"Hn, not at all, actually, now do the hand sign."

With an exasperated sigh, Deidara positioned his index and middle fingers upward, the rest of his hand clutched in a loose fist. Itachi mimicked the movement, each giving a soft whisper of 'Nanji no masutā o hatasu.' A large rumble rang throughout the forest they had recently entered, a hole forming beneath the ground, cracking open on the surface.

"He so did relocate, un!" the blonde whined, pointing a finger down to the crust of the Earth.

"Pest, he simply moved from having the hideout behind a rock, to underground. That's hardly relocating."

"Bastard."

"Hn. Shut up and go."

Growling, Deidara jumped into the large black vortex that led them beneath the Earth. Itachi followed suit after a moment, only waiting for the soft sound of feet coming in contact with the stone floor to jump down. When he hit the ground, Deidara had already moved away from the lit area, waiting for the blackette to lead the way. Itachi nodded, giving a discreet 'Kare no meirei ni nyusatsu' and vaguely acknowledging that the floor was molding once again at the crust. He then turned on his heels, feeling the air whip around his feet at the fluid movement, before walked down the candle lit corridor.

"Hmm, this place hasn't changed a bit, un," Deidara smirked, his eyes darting around to every crack and crevice that littered the dirt covered walls. Candles were suck at the top of the walls, alternating from the left side to the right. At the corners of the intersecting sections, bits of mold and dust were sprinkled, adding to the old and eerie effect the maze seemed to possess.

"Leader-sama has been expecting our return, and he sent his assistant to give us the details," was the cool reply from Itachi, his voice and facial expression unfazed by the few rats that scurried from under the duo's feet.

"You mean Abu is here?" the blonde beamed, giving a chuckle at the name he gave his comrade a while back.

"Deidara-san, I've told you multiple times, Abu is not my name, and I'd prefer if you refrain from using said nickname."

The two turned around, coming face to face with a faintly amused grin on an otherwise pale face. The man's shining grey hair seemed to glow in the light the candles gave off, his rich black eyes faintly twinkling behind the circular rim of his spectacles.

"Hello Kabuto-san," the blackette nodded, ignoring his smirking blonde partner beside him.

"Itachi-san," the man known as Kabuto replied, smiling faintly to the back haired man. The black eyes flashed over to the deep blue one's, the smirk on the greyette's face growing more pronounced. "...Terrorist."

"Abu, un!" the blonde beamed in recognition of his old nickname, ignoring the eye roll of the weasel beside him.

"Long time no see Deidara-san."

"Time flies when you're dead."

"Hmm, I'll be sure to take your word for it."

As Deidara was about to open his mouth and form a reply, his partner chimed in, cutting off the blonde and waving off his voice of protest as Itachi began speaking.

"Kabuto-san, I'm aware Leader-sama gave you information for us?" he asked, shooting the blonde a glare from the corner of his red and black eyes.

The greyette chuckled, nodding his head. "I do, he also said he wanted to meet you two and see how the Akatsuki case is going."

"Understood, now the details he needed to share?"

"Impatient bastard, un," Deidara muttered, giving Itachi his signature eye roll.

"I see you haven't changed in the slightest, Terrorist-san," Kabuto grinned, motioning for the two to follow.

"'Course not!"

"Kabuto-san, we have time for catching up later."

"Yes Itachi-san, alright, Leader-sama wished for me to say that the process for re-humanizing Deidara is nearly complete, and that he has found a way to modify your Sharingan, if you're interested."

"Hmm…quite."

"Where is he now, Abu, un?"

The trio had been traipsing down a particularly long hallway, only to come to a stop directly in front of a bulky door that looked to be fairly new. Not a speck of dirt or grime could be made out, and the handle shone in the light of the candles.

"He's here and is expecting you. Once I leave, walk inside. He'll tell you all you need to know. After that, you know the way out," Kabuto replied, nodding to the two before quickly turning around, and walking in the direction in which they came.

"Be on your best behavior, pest," Itachi warned sternly, making sure Deidara didn't miss the miniscule twirl of the menacing Sharingan he possessed.

"Yes, Ita-chan, un."

The blonde nodded towards his partner, before grasping the cold handle of the door and twisting it. As it flung up, darkness flooded out from the room, only to be replaced with the glowing aura of more torches. The duo walked in silently, keeping their eyes trained on the slit ones they could faintly make out nearly the middle of the room. With a low bow from the two, the leader had begun to speak.

"Hello Itachi and Deidara. It'sssss been a long time, hasssssn't it?" the serpent like voice greeted, flowing gently to the eardrums of his subordinates.

"It's a pleasure to see you once again, Leader-sama, un," Deidara smiled, his eyes glowing up at the tone of his master.

"Deidara, it'sssss been unussssually quiet without your explosionssss to entertain ussss," the voice chuckled.

"Well I'm sorry for the inconvenience, I'll be sure to raise as much Hell as possible, just for you, un."

The man laughed, his snake like figure shaking a tad at the shoulders.

"Hmm, Itachi, how are the Akatssssuki reportsss coming along?" he asked, looking towards the smirking figure that stood a foot away from the bomber.

"All is well. They remain at peace."

"Very good. I asssssume Kabuto told you of my improvementssss in your Resssssurection, Deidara?"

"Hai, Leader-sama, un."

"Leader-sama, if I may? He also mentioned that you had ways of improving my Sharingan. Does that also account for my eye sight?"

"Or lack thereof, un."

"Pest."

"Ita-chan."

The Leader watched with high amusement as his subordinates bickered, calling each other every name in the book, and all without so much as grinning. He mused that if it were anyone else, he would've killed them already. But of course, he wouldn't kill his highest ranked team. His pupils.

His most trusted, scientifically engineered subordinates.

"Boyssssssss, boysssssss, relax. Yesssssss Itachi, it alssssso accountsssss for your eye ssssight, or asssss Deidara pointed out, lack thereof," he chuckled, seeing the smirk on Deidara's face grow and the emotionless façade of Itachi remain unfazed. Yes, he knew he made the right decision in pairing these two together.

He _always_ had his reasons.

And they were _always_ right.

"Leader-sama, as upsetting as it is for me to point out, un, it's almost morning…"

"Which means Akatsuki will be awakening soon, and wouldn't take too kindly to our absence…"

"Yessssss, of coursssssse. I'll allow you to leave. Pleasssssse do drop by tomorrow morning as well. We have much to discuss now that my sssssstrongesssst team is reunited."

"Hai Leader-sama," both men responded, bowing low to the ground before arising and leaving the torch lit room that smelt of death and snakes.

With an airy goodbye to Kabuto at the entrance, the two leapt into the air once again, and began their way back to Akatsuki.


	8. Highway to Hell

_**Time: SasoDei Love Story**_

_**Sorry for the long wait! SO VERY SSOORRRRYYY!**_

_**Please do review this. I'm sad, I got like…2 reviews for the last chapter (maybe 1, I don't remember) So, I hope you guys review. Oh, and I kinda have some epic Writer's Block with this story… Gomen! I promise not to give up on it though, if you don't hear from me, then I'll make it up to you by a multitude of one-shots! By the way, this chapter and the next have a rape scene/rape scene reference within it. Just a heads up.**_

Chapter Seven: Highway to Hell

"Tell me what you know, Uchiha."

That was the first thing spoken by Sasori Akasuna that day.

At the current time, Akatsuki, save Deidara, were all at Amegakure High School. The bell had just rung, signaling the ending of fourth period and the beginning of their lunch hour. The group had gathered around their self-assigned table, food trays sprawled all over the console. Sasori had slammed his hands on the table, glaring at the blackette with such ferocity that you could see bolts of lightning outline his eyes.

"About what, Sasori?" the oh-so-stoic male responded, raising his eyebrows elegantly.

"Deidara! What else?"

"What would you like to know?"

The members glanced around at each other before eyeing Itachi again. He was as nonchalant as ever, his eyes half-lidded with obvious boredom. Sasori gave another heated glare, shoving his tray of food off to the side.

"What are you willing to share?"

Itachi placed a single finger to his lips, his eyes looking towards the ceiling in thought, before smirking.

"I can share family history, his personal favorites, his personal dislikes, life goals, personal dreams, and things of the like."

The red head stared at him, before sighing and placing his head within his hands. Nodding, he motioned a finger for the blackette to continue with his story.

"Where would you like me to begin, Sasori-san?"

"Family history. The entire story."

"Very well…but be warned, it's not a happy tale."

Itachi smirked before leaning back in his chair, allowing his eyes to flutter shut before beginning.

_**-_Flash Back_-**_

"_Ita-chan!" a high pitched voice squealed, a lightning bolt of blonde flashing before the blackette was tackled to the ground. Itachi glanced downwards at the small child that had entangled himself around the slim waist, briefly noticing the small body shaking and his tight fitted black shirt becoming increasing damp._

"_Pest?" he asked, running nimble fingers through the golden strands of hair. "Why are you crying?"_

"_M-m-mommy, un! She…she let d-d-daddy t-touch…ITA-CHAN, UN!" the child screeched, his shaking noticeably increasing and the grip he had on the blackette's shirt tightened. The elder sat up, wrapping an arm around the blonde's waist, continuing to stroke the yellow strands._

"_Shh, shh. Hush, Deidara, hush. Now, what happened?" he asked again, moving the blonde to straddle Itachi's waist, setting his hand on the petite figure. Deidara sniffled, rubbing his eyes in a childishly innocent way. The blonde then put his tiny hands on Itachi's shoulders, blinking his blue eyes repeatedly._

"_M-my mommy. I t-told her a-about-t h-how daddy t-touches me, and…and how it hurts, un! But! Sh-she didn't b-believe me! Mommy hit Deidei! Then...then m-mommy l-left and I-I was alone with d-daddy, un!" by now the water works had started up again and were flooding the azure eyes with a vengeance. Deidara began shaking again and he put a death grip on Itachi's shoulders. The blackette soothing rubbed Deidara's back, urging him to continue. "Daddy…h-he touched me a-again, b-but this t-time d-daddy really h-hurt me, un."_

_Itachi could feel his blood boil at each trail of wetness the salty tears led down the innocent blonde's face. His grip tightened on the child ever so slightly, his hands still rubbing circles on Deidara's lower back._

"_How did he hurt you?" he asked, bringing a skinny hand up to wipe away the water. He felt Deidara take in a deep, shaky breath before sniffling again._

"_I-I don't k-know what he did, un. I…I k-know he put s-someth-thing big inside m-me. There w-was so much b-blood, un. It h-hurt so much, I-Ita-chan! H-he never-r p-put something that b-big in me b-b-before, un!" the blonde wailed, drooping his head so it rested on Itachi's chest. In return, the elder pecked his head gently, soothing running his hands up and down Deidara's arms._

"_And what happened next?" _

_Deidara looked up at the onyx eyes before looking down again and opening his mouth._

"_I…I just remember s-so much p-pain. Daddy-y h-hit me over a-and over, a-and I felt something-g warm and w-wet p-put in me, t-then he took whatever-r-r was i-inside me out-t, a-and he left, un. I-I tried to g-go to sleep but it h-hurts so much, s-so I w-went to find y-you, un."_

"_Deidara, take off your shirt," he ordered, glancing down as the child shrieked and tried to escape Itachi's grasp._

"_W-what? No, un!"_

"_Pest, relax. I only wish to see if you have any bruises."_

_Deidara looked up at him, fear perceivable in the diamond orbs. He shakily held up a hand, a puny pinkie finger extended._

"_P-promise, Ita-chan?"_

_The blackette fought back a smile at the innocence and nodded, connecting his longer finger with the miniscule one. Seeming satisfied enough, the blonde nodded, leaning up in Itachi's lap before peeling off his own shirt. It was now that the blackette truly took the time to notice Deidara and his posture. The child's back was slightly arched outwards, tender bruises outlining the area just around the spine. The markings got darker the further down Itachi's eyes traced the back. Right above the hemming of Deidara's pants were dark blood marks and black bruises everywhere. On his sides were dark fingerprints and nail marks, small bits of dried blood flaked all around._

"_W-what's wrong, I-Ita-chan, un?" he heard the frail voice asked, snapping him out of his broodings. He blinked before taking Deidara's shirt under his arm and wrapping his hands on Deidra's back._

"_Nothing, but I'm taking you to get you cleaned up. It'll make you feel better."_

_The blonde nodded before clinging onto Itachi tightly, allowing him to take him back to the Uchiha Estate._

_**-_Flash Back Ended_-**_

"That happened quite often. It's sad, really," Itachi sighed, resting his elbows on the table.

"Deidara was…_raped_?"

Itachi was vaguely amused that all nine beings had simultaneously yelled out the same line, and he found himself nodding.

"If you truly wish for me to continue, I can. But as I warned you, it's not a happy story."

Sasori looked murderous, glaring daggers at the table beneath his hands. His dull brown eyes flashed their up to the blackette's before he sighed.

"Did…did you ever…_see_…Deidara get raped?" the red head hissed out through grit teeth, his knuckles white from the force of which he clutched his own fist.

"…Yes."

You could have heard a pin drop. No one even dared to breathe as Itachi and Sasori had a stare down, the scorpion's anger flaring and the blackette's own brooding colliding. The Akatsuki were the only one's remaining in the cafeteria, none of them noticing the extra arrival.

"Ya know, if you wanted to know about my childhood, un, you could have just asked."

The nine entities jumped, whirling around to face the main entrance, seeing a blob of gold and pool of baby blue.

"D-Deidara!" Konan gasped, putting a gentle hand to her lips.

The blonde nodded in her direction, his face unusually stoic and his normally beaming eyes were hard and vacant. He walked over their table, resting his hip against the side closest to the Akasuna.

"I thought you couldn't remember anything, Deidara," Kakuzu accused, eyeing the blonde's rueful smile. The ghost sighed, twirling a segment of his bangs before blowing it out of his face.

"I remember every single piece of my traumatizing childhood, thank you very much, un. I don't, however, remember how I died, nor do I remember what happened to my siblings when I did," he snapped back, huffing and crossing his faded arms over his chest.

"Siblings?" the woman of blue asked, eyes lighting up.

Deidara nodded, giving an amused grin. "Yeah, un. I had a little brother and a little sister."

"Little brother…you mean Naruto?"

The blonde looked towards Sasori and nodded, a smile on his face.

"Pest, do you wish for me to continue your story, or would you like the honors?"

The blonde scoffed, waving his hand. "Yeah, some honor. I'll do it, it's my story anyway, un. But there is one thing you have to understand."

"Which is?"

Deidara grinned at the red head's question before he sighed, flopping on the seat beside said red head, and flipping his long silky bangs away from his face.

Directly under the bangs and crossing over his left eye was a pair of light pink scars. His eye was a light blue, almost a shining grey color. The pink ripped its way down to the middle of Deidara's sheet white cheek, reaching up to barely touch his eyebrow. The Akatsuki looked towards Deidara as he clipped his bangs away from his face.

"What you have to understand is, un, I was abused as a child and on multiple occasions, I was beaten and raped. Also, I spent a great deal of time looking after my younger siblings, which means I also took their beatings. This includes being starved, un, beaten, raped, humiliated, and near death experiences. And if you ask me to continue this story, then you have to listen to it until the end, un. Understand?"

Deidara looked them all directly in the eye, both his blue orbs boring holes into the other members. Each one nodded slowly, his eye finally resting on Sasori and Itachi. The Uchiha looked indifferent and didn't move. The blonde took it as an okay, not that it mattered. Itachi knew the whole story anyway.

Sasori though… Deidara looked towards the red head, inclining his head up so they could see eye to eye. The Akasuna sighed and nodded slowly, moving his hand under the table to gently brush the ghostly aura of Deidara's hand. The blonde smiled and returned the brush before taking in a deep breath and continuing where Itachi left off.


End file.
